


Of Red Flags & Bulls

by last_illusions (injured_eternity)



Category: Criminal Minds, NCIS
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-23
Updated: 2010-03-13
Packaged: 2017-10-17 08:44:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/175029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/injured_eternity/pseuds/last_illusions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are things Ziva David and Aaron Hotchner have neglected to tell one another. Tony DiNozzo solves most of that problem for them both.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Falls long after [Partnership Appraisals](http://archiveofourown.org/series/7144), but a good deal before [Sixth Senses](http://archiveofourown.org/series/7141).

“You felt off on your right today.”

This has become a ritual of sorts, grabbing coffee or lunch after practise and winding down.

“I know,” he admits wryly, making a face. “I… walked into a doorframe, might have pulled something.”

Quirking an eyebrow, she shoots him a sceptical look (she knows he’s lying, just not why). “You, walk into a door?” she asks, her tone disbelieving.

He raises both hands in mock defence. “Not all of us are quite as catlike as you are!”

Whatever she’s about to say is forgotten as the door to the café swings open and she sees the new arrival. Of course, it takes Abby less than a second to spot her, and until this moment, she’s never considered the fact that the tech lived nearby. Now she rather wishes she had.

“Ziva!” Abby exclaims with her trademark Abby exuberance, hurrying over and giving the other woman a hug.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ziva sees Aaron’s expression turn to one of surprise, but she thinks she might be able to save this. Then Tony walks in, and the optimism fades. This can’t possibly get any worse. He finds Abby easily, and then he gives Ziva an amused, assessing look. Oh, _merde_.


	2. Chapter 2

“What are you doing here?” The words are not quite staccato, but there’s a _bounce_ in the pitch of Abby’s voice.

“Getting coffee?” she suggests, offering the tech a smile. “And you?” She’s not intentionally ignoring Aaron. She’s just trying to avoid an introduction.

“My hearse had a flat, and Gibbs wants me in to finish processing the Mulvano case,” Abby explains (Aaron double-takes at “hearse”; Ziva can’t really blame him), tossing her phone from hand to hand, “so I asked Tony to give me a ride.”

This is, of course, Tony’s cue to step in. “Hello, Ziva,” he drawls, grinning at her as he holds out a hand to Aaron. “Tony DiNozzo.”

“Aaron Hotchner,” he responds, standing to make the height difference less awkward. She kind of wishes he hadn’t, because it means she has to stand, too.

“You must be Ziva’s new boyfriend!”

Tony’s grin is conspiratorial and so very DiNozzo—charismatic enough that Aaron grins back, even if he looks a little confused. She’s going to kill Tony.

“He is my sparring partner, Tony,” she informs him coolly, rising and smacking him in the shoulder as she studiously avoids meeting Aaron’s eye.

“Hey!” her partner protests. “You don’t get enough practise with Gibbs?”

How on earth did she get into this?

“Does he need us in the office?” Changing the subject will be… useful.

“Not until Abs is done with evidence,” he answers, turning just a touch more serious. “We’re sort of stuck otherwise. I’m just chauffeur.” He pauses as Abby asks if he wants anything, hands her a five with a request for coffee, and glances back. “I think SecNav is breathing down Vance’s neck. Count on losing your Sunday.”

So maybe that was less useful than she’d thought it would be. She’s hoping Aaron misses the reference to the Secretary of the Navy. She doubts she’ll be so lucky. Tony’s death becomes a little slower.

“So how long have _you_ known Officer David?” he asks Aaron.

On second thought, maybe she’s never going to actually let him _die_.


	3. Chapter 3

“So.” Aaron shoots her a sidelong glance, mere minutes after Tony and Abby have left for the office. “You’re Mossad. That explains a lot.”

If she didn’t know better, she’d think her face was on fire; she is not wont to blush very often, and it’s barely apparent when she does, but she hates it because it means she’s off-balance. Aaron’s tone is almost impossible to read, and she cannot genuinely tell if he’s angry or amused or something else entirely.

So she just sighs and raises an eyebrow at him, feigning indignation. “Oh, indeed? Then what is _your_ excuse?”

She’s not certain what she expected him to say, but, “I’m FBI,” was not even close to being on the list. Lawyer, perhaps, even businessman, but federal agent? And then she starts to rethink their relationship, and the pieces begin to fall into place—such as why he “walked into a door”.

“Oh. Well.”

Then he grins, humour displacing the blank mask. “You, at a loss for words?”

“I am not!” she protests, glaring. “I am simply… thinking!”

“Oh, right, I forgot thinking requires gaping at me.” His tone is completely bland, and she continues to glare.

“I remind you that I paid for that drink,” she informs him archly, nodding at his coffee cup, and he just shoots her a _look_.

“And never got around to telling me you work for two different intelligence agencies.”

“Neither did you!” (It occurs to her that this argument is devolving; she doesn’t really care.)

With a perfectly straight face, he looks over at her and says, “Ah, but you see, Officer David, I only work for one.”


End file.
